I hate Internet Explorer, and I’m pretty 99% of you do too. In this article, I have compiled a complete list of 15+ “Anti Internet Explorer resources: Informations, graphics, code snippets and way much more!

The facts: Why IE is crap

IE sucks. Every web worker heard that sentence at least once. Of course, yes, it does sucks. But to be taken seriously, it is important to know why it sucks and not just follow the anti-IE hype. This first part of the article is dedicated to blogs, websites and articles demonstrating how weak Internet Explorer is.

IESucks

This blog is another website 100% dedicated to show how Internet Explorer is crappy. I enjoy reading it because it demonstrate true facts, but aways with some humor that I enjoy very much.» http://www.iesucks.info/

Anti IE Badges, Tools & Notifications

The least we can do is to let idiots IE6 users know that their browser is obsolete. Lots of codes snippets are there to help you.

Too cool for IE

The “Too cool for IE” was a successful online campain to dump out Internet Explorer. On this website, you can download a Javascript code that will detect IE and automatically redirect the loser user to a page where he can download a real browser.» http://www.w3junkies.com/toocool/

Google Chrome Frame

Google Chrome Frame is a IE plugin that will use the Webkit rendering engine instead of the horrible Trident. It also enable faster Javascript, using recent technologies. The good point is that it will allow a IE user to keep his long-time favorite app while correcting its mistake by using a newer technology. The bad point is that a IE user don’t like to change.» http://code.google.com/intl/fr/chrome/chromeframe/

Anti IE buttons

WordPress plugin: Anti-IE

The plugin name says it all: Once installed on your WordPress blog, it will detect Internet Explorer 6 and will display a page saying that your blog deserves better than that.» Anti IE6 plugin for WordPress

Tools to kill Internet Explorer

Notifications aren’t bad, but I don’t think that will seriously help people switching to a decent browser. I got in mind the perfect exemple of a person who don’t want to drop IE6 even after a complete explanation about why this piece of crap is hurting the web and stopping innovation.

If you really want to be rude to these even more rude persons, and definitely funny to the others, here are a list of amazingly bad jokes to do to Internet Explorer users.

Crash IE

This website have a single purpose: Making Internet Explorer crash. And it works, damn good.» http://www.crashie.com/

Even more fun

Who though a (stupid) web browser could inspire designers and marketers to create products as such as T-Shirts or mugs?

“Damn you, IE” mug

Are you used to work extremely late in order to finnish fixing IE bugs? If yes, this coffee mug will be your best friend in the office, especially on friday night, when your colleagues will already be at home since a long time.» http://mugs.cafepress.co.uk/fuck-internet-explorer

It is not about the exact percentage of developers that think it sucks but if you did want to turn it around I bet you would have difficulty finding even 1% of developers who think that IE6 is a good browser choice in 2010

Why I share your feelings about IE6 I don’t think ‘hating IE6’ is the right way to go. Many hate-ie6 sites are not helping users at all. Seriously, crashing IE6?!

There are many other alternative sites popping up that try to educate users and system administrators on the fact that 1) they have the option to _choose_ a browser and 2) IE6 is outdated and insecure and 3) _how_ they can upgrade their web browser.

Many of those websites show a banner for IE6 with details on why their browser is outdated and insecure and a link to a site helping them upgrade. I feel this is a much better way. This is why I created http://browserupgrade.info but there are many other sites like it.

Please include such sites in your list too. http://ie6.forteller.net/index.php?title=Main_Page#Similar_campaigns

What an absolute piece of junk. Per Bryan, just because you don’t like it, and a few others you found on the web means NOTHING!!

I can only imagine how much fun it would be to work on a project with you – you sound like a real team player and if there were any integration to something you didn’t like … well, that would be no good would it.

Maybe this post is controversial, but I’m sure every web developer agrees with me that IE is the least of today’s browsers. Crashing IE is not a good idea, but hey it’s fun! Our work would be much more easier when IE’s performance and support could be compared to that of Firefox & Co.

IE6 sucks, but IE7 and IE8 aren’t all that bad.

NotAlame

Yeah! IE isn’t good at else. Specially for theme designers who, after doing their WP theme design and try it on IE, they will be dissapointed with this browser…

@Bryan -1, so it evens out. About “how” u should treat IE6, the opinions vary, but that it’s a browser that’s out of date and it is the reason for many time-consuming cross-browser checking and hacking, is a FACT. The time has come to push people instead by telling them so. Crashing a browser is also for me, a bridge too far, but Jean is only listing anti-IE6 resources.. for you to choose which way to go. I myself use http://www.ie6update.com because it displays a simple yellow bar like you mostly see when you need to install e.g. flash or something, it’s something users recognize and – hopefully – know the importance of.

Tom.

Kevin

Childish tantrum of a post.

Do I wish IE6 would die faster? Yes. Does MS wish IE6 would die completely? Yes. Are non-IE browsers more compliant to web standards? Yes.

Ultimately, it’s about the readers not about the site design. Design is the lure, but I’d rather have readers than elegant code. And hey, I make good money making sites that work cross-browser.

Do I get frustrated? Sure. Do I make whiney posts about ways to crash my site customer’s browsers? Hell no.

Ann_S

Does IE6 sucks??Absolutely!! Even though i think IE6 sucks, and hate having to spend hours coding so it works in our sites, I still have to code for it. The companies me and my team develop tools for usually have IE6 as their standard browser. So we may not like it, but we have to understand that most companies are not going to upgrade just because we don’t like coding for it. In the end, we (me and my team) are coding for our audience

Crashing people’s browser is not immature, yet I agree it CAN be immature. People who decide to implement a “crash IE” script on their sites don’t do it for fun. They do it because they want to prove IE6 users that their browser is crap. Seriously, how can a web browser crash with a single line of html?

In my humble opinion, people saying “I hate IE6 but this situation is not going to change” are not going to change anything. If we want a change, we have to let IE users know about their browsers. And there are several ways to do it: Educate, notice, and also the “bad” manner, like crashing the browser.

If my web browser crash every 15 minutes while on the web, believe me, I’d quickly look for another solution. So, crashing IE6 is quite rude, but it can help people understanding why their browser is bad.

I am 100% at one with Kevin on this. From the beginning, web coding has been about making resources available to the widest possible public, regardless of their circumstances and technical preferences. The alternative is a return to the bulletin-board type fragmentation of the eighties, because attempting to make the entire Internet use ‘client technology X’ in order to make your coding life simpler, is pretty much like herding the proverbial cats. Businesses (most IE6 users are in enterprises) use computers for business reasons, and they think of them in an entirely different way from the way computer enthusiasts do. While enthusiasts may salivate over forthcoming technologies, a sensible bussiness will typically view them as a cost burden, unless the cost can be recouped with increased revenue.

What we should be doing is just taking people away from ANY Microsucks browser whatsoever.

I hate IE7, I hate IE8 too. Actually, I never used IE since IE7 – so I hate IE8 as a matter of principal.

I like browsers which encourage cross platform compatibility, and use Webkit browsers (three of those at my beck and call) Gecko (FF, Seamonkey, and Epiphany) and Presto (Evil closed source maybe, but still pretty good).

“If my web browser crash[es] every 15 minutes while on the web, believe me, Iâ€™d quickly look for another solution. So, crashing IE6 is quite rude, but it can help people understanding why their browser is bad.”

The only solution IE6 visitors will look for is another website. Why would you want to do something as counterproductive as sending your own traffic to someone else?

If I visited a site and my browser crashed (whichever one I may be using) I would give the site the benefit of the doubt only if I really wanted to read what was there and try once more. If it happened again I would assume it had been badly written and not bother again. I wouldn’t care why it crashed, after all, your loss in traffic isn’t my problem.

Wow really? The ignorance of trying to strong arm people into using the browser YOU as a designer like is ridiculous. Is it the best browsing experience? for some people, maybe it is. What you are attempting to do about the same as my mechanic causing my Ford to break down every 15 minutes because he hates Fords and wants me to get a Honda. Think about that, would you look for a new mechanic or a new car? I guarantee you’d go to someone who didn’t purposefully break your car.

I don’t know when this wordpress crew got they idea they ran the internet, but good luck with that.

I’m not exactly sure how one could hate an inanimate object. I mean, it’s just a browser. If you don’t like, don’t use it, simple as that. However, many people use IE because they are simply unaware of “why it’s a bad browser”. I think we all need to just respect each others opinion and just drop the arguing. We need to stop trying to persuade people to go one way or another. Internet Explorer isn’t going anywhere, and complaining about it will get you no where.

The first thing I do with all relatives and friends is install Firefox for them and tell them to leave IE alone. Bugs,backdoors oh yeah and it’s written by Microsoft, do I need to state anything else!!! Oh yeah Firefox may not look like the most modern browser, but at least it’s user friendly, I have soooo many bookmarks, only Safari comes close for usablilty.

Bart

go F yourself!

J. Merton

I LOVE IE8 – it’s better than Firefox (Which I use only to test my site installations). IE8 = NO plugins required! Most people using IE6 are stuck with it at work – they have no choice. For my sites to function properly, I am morally obligated to support it – which takes a little work. Perhaps you are just friggin lazy.

I loved the post. Thank you. You are saying what most web developers feel strongly about. IE6 makes my work an absolute nightmare, hence I no longer develop for it. Internet Explorer is holding back the the internet and until Microsoft does something about that I will actively campaign against it in anyway possible.

another bryan

Oh wow. IE 6 is the bane of my web development career. I’m going to install the WordPress plugin (the one that informs the user to update) on all of my blogs as soon as I get home.

Actually I hate IE also, because I have to make special treatment only for IE, but if can’t I leaved because I only design for my blog. Only for your information Almost Internet user in Korea they use IE, and almost Website in South Korea only support IE and sometime when I use FF it can’t open anywhere.

According to Google Analytics I use for 50+ of my website clients, between 65% and 80% of their visitors use IE (mainly 7 and 8 these days, with about 20% using 6). While I personally prefer Chrome for my own browsing, as a professional designer it’s important to recognize who your market is and how you are reaching them. One can sit on a high horse and hate on something, meanwhile doing their clients a great disservice. Or they can recognize that IE is the most used browser, and design accordingly.

Awesome. Too funny. Some comments on here are taking you way too serious. I mean what website designer working for anyone other than for their own personal website would even consider crashing someone’s browser (even if it a totally outdated piece of junk)?

There really isn’t a truly valid reason why there should be more than 1% of users using IE6. Companies, their IT departments, and home users have had years to make the necessary changes to upgrade, yet many haven’t chosen not to invest in upgrades. This is an example of poor IT management.

Take a look at the web circa when IE6 was developed and released to the masses. In just a few years, the web has evolved to the point where we can run virtual Operating Systems through a modern web browser.

IE6 does not play on the modern Internet nicely, for consumers and for developers.

Love it. Hate it. Indifferent. It is time to retire IE6 for no other reason than there are better, more capable (and importantly to most consumers – FREE!) browsers out there.

Just my two cents, I think crashing a user’s browser without notifying them of why defeats your purpose of progression through education and in the end, is kind of childish. Otherwise I completely agree with the sentiment of this post.

You “wrote a controversial post?” please, you barely wrote anything at all, you just posted a bunch of links to other blogs. Easy and pointless work.

Riot

IE is crap all together. MS needs to stop making it and worry about their OS and 400 other programs.

Sheldon

Hmm…

I used to work for network security when I received an urgent call regarding a firewall that seems to be affecting a web server. I checked the connections and it was ok. Turns out to be an incompatibility with CSS on IE6, the pages seem to be ok with Firefox.

Not to be biased, I think groovey is right: IE6 is too old indeed. However, having no updates done would have been inexcusable for Microsoft. They’re a big company, updates should have been available for the new standards.

Crashing IE6? Sounds fun (LOL) but please, don’t turn your frustrations into chaos. Imagine a granny who has an old computer who uses it for emails to her family and she’s been led to a website with such script. You’d possibly get granny over the phone talking at her ISP’s technical support team, which would possibly end up granny getting frustrated and calling her son over.

Please guys, give these people a break. And to Microsoft, please do your best on upgrading IE. If not, well it doesn’t hurt to bundle Firefox on your next release right?

What I hate most about IE is that, there’s always a warning that my privacy might be in trouble everytime I’m using IE in my computer. Of course, that’s my primary concern while I’m accessing all my accounts. Honestly, from the very start I’m using PC, I’m using IE as my #1 search engine. Now, things changed so I’m using FF now than IE. I’m also after of FF plugins.

Ark-kun

MS haters are so naive and ignorant. I could have debunked the FUD you wrote and linked to, but why bother? I’ll just write this single fact: Not a SINGLE page you linked to here is VALID html/css (and neither is this page). There are more than THOUSAND errors (combined).

You can try to be ignorant, but you will never be able to wash this shame away in your whole life. ^__^

Well yeah, IE sucks when compared to other browsers such as firefox. Firefox is way better, especially to internet marketers. The SEO plug-ins and it’s features are awesome.

Cheers.

Working Stiff

Hey Ark-kun: If you code a web page to account for IE’s bugs, it won’t validate, ever! That alone is one reason why IE should be banned. The only reason it’s used widely is because it came FREE. People stick with it like they did with VHS even though Betamax was better.

So we have Microsoft with a browser coded by those who know better screwing up the internet.

“Readership is better than elegant code,” you say: Yes, I agree. We’re not directly talking about silky smooth semantics here, though. The point of this post (and one that this developer agrees with) is that IE, and perhaps IE6 specifically, is an out-dated, underdeveloped POS that needs to be purged from the universe. If M$ gets their browser act together, ditches the epic failure that is IE, and actually makes something passable for a web browser, you can have both readership AND elegant code. You really can’t argue that it wouldn’t be a better world, then. =D

“I make good $ doing cross browser work,” you say: Again, good for you. A lot of us do. But why should we have to? Wouldn’t it be more worth OUR time if we didn’t have to constantly fix PNGs and insert JAVAScript workarounds and comments? If IE is eliminated from the browser scene, that doesn’t mean that browser compatibility work disappears. It means that instead of trying to keep OLD technology up to date and functioning, we can spend our time improving current technology and making browser compatibility (ie: OUR WORK) easier to do. “Wait,” you say. “You mean we should try to advance technology instead of playing catch up with ancient stuff?” Imagine that…

ThatGuy

Note from last comment… it seems that while “sarcasm” is not, in fact, a legitimate HTML tag, the comments section decided to parse it as such…

I’m personally not fond of using IE but there are thousands of people stuck with it. To mention one example I run a popular football website and roughly 90% of my visitors uses IE. If I were about to shut them out I could as well close the blog.

Dave

Jean I love this post, and I love the idiots who are taking it so seriously and slagging you off, it’s so funny. Great job! 🙂

I was using windows 2000 server for about 8 years as my workstation – it’s probably the most stable windows OS. It never crashes – my machine is on 24 hours a day. I don’t recall even once crashing by running normal business type applications. The only thing I had to do along the way was upgrade a hard drive, RAM and a CPU fan that died after 3-4 years of non-stop use. I had to give up my w2k server because of IE6. Most websites these days don’t support IE6 – you get script errors on half the pages I used to visit. I used my server machine from a terminal services client in 256 colors – none of the other browsers work in 256 colors. IE6 does. So it’s good for some things but it was also the reason I had to move on from w2k server , to something more up to date: XP.

Bottom line: IE6 doesn’t work any more so whether you like it or not it’s irrelevant, you have to move on!

actually IE has many problems, but I do not worry about it, I do not develop sites for other developers, I make websites for consumers and ordinary people who surf, mostly none of them are experienced in “jquery” Javascrit “css”, ill know how to use IE.

My “wastats” tells me that 87% of people who visit my site are IE, how can I ignore them or say to put another browser if they want to buy in my store?

“http://olaturista.trgs.com.br/index.do” This is one of the largest sites of government, has a free labor that affects thousands of people and only accept registration if you are “IE.”

(

IE – bad with him, worse without.

Do not get me wrong, but develop to reach the majority, and today, most are “IE”, and to earn by working, and “IE” of more work, which give me more $.

🙂

tonier

Are you trying to convert into a bad boy/girl instead of black and mysterious cat? LOL

But I’m agree with you, IE users should change or upgrade their browser.

Well, it’s not about hate IE… when I need to update or create a new site, I **must** make it work well to my ‘boss’. But as I always talk with my client (the ‘boss’), I explain about that there’s no warranties against OLDER browsers, I do my best, but if something work on IE8, work on Firefox and Chrome, I’ll spend any time to make it run under IE6. Just does not have support.

I put a few time ago the a java in my own blog that advertise those who still uses IE7 and below. Reasons? Well.. 33% of my audience still using IE6! It’s so bad know that persons who read my blog (and know that I agree with Firefox as main browser) uses a shit browser like that! IE7 would be better, but go to hell too since IE8 was released and it’s free!

IE6 is older, does not support tabs, crashes, etc etc etc… we all know. But the best reason to update is that is more secure and (the hell) IT’S FREE!! If you need to pay to download a newer version, ok, could be a reason to keep it (as like occur with MS Office), but hey, who use a trash thing instead other better?! If a new game is released, a lot of this very same people go ahead to catch it… if a new MS Office is released, a lot of this ones go ahead and crack it to get a newer Word… so, what’s the reason to keep the bad browser?! I just could protect a user like this if he is running a offline computer with the Win98 and still using all programs from back 2001… but hey, he is offline, no matter if have a IE6! o/

Sometimes I need to go to some place to work, I would need to use IE, do you thing that I do this? I download Firefox. It’s too easy to download it and the work run better with a lot of tabs. The worst scene is on the university that I study, it’s a place about “tecnology” and it’s CRAPY see the IE6 under WinXP… wtf tecnology do they mean?!

Damien

http://www.marious-alex.co.cc/ie-alert/ Another one for your Anti-IE scripts list.

Yeah…IE6 is such a junk. I wonder why do Microsoft are making such trash? Well we are talking about IE6, right? But not IE8…A slight modification of this browser makes it superior to other!! Adding some special add-ons makes it faster than Firefox..A way far better than Netscape… Better than any Mozilla’s project!!!

Great post! Always interesting to see this conversation play out. IE is definitely a headache (especially 6) but of course in many cases needs to be taken into consideration.

Andre

Yeah, I Hate IE too, another fantastic idea from Microsoft (Not) What a great idea, to crash IE. This has been a great topic, lets all ditch IE, there are better browsers out there. Watch the video from the latest Apple conference where they say IE is not within the industrial standards, yet Apple worked hard to get Safari within the standards.

Check out this really neat tool. You should really include this in the list!

http://anti.eire-media.com/

Anti Explorer is a small piece of code you can place in your site’s HTML which stops Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE / Explorer) from rendering your page. Along-side this, a notification alerts the user he is using MSIE and prompts him / her to download Firefox instead.

We’ve all been there. We design our site with Internet Explorer in mind, only to find we have to resort to numerous hacks and complicated code to get our site looking like it should in MSIE. Numerous Web Citizens have written hacks and workarounds for MSIE, only to be dismayed at all the extra effort they had to put in to get their designs cross-compatible with MSIE.

I don’t think that people who use IE6 read articles like this or even realize that they are running IE6. People don’t want to fix what isn’t broken *in their own eyes* (we as developers/designers know but my guess is most IE6 users don’t realize it’s broken tech). From my experience these users aren’t Tech savy and updating their computer is a daunting task so they don’t do it unless it is automatically done for them. Until Microsoft does a real big push to automatically upgrade to a newer version then there will be IE6 users for a quite a while still. What would be interesting to know is how many IE6 users are only using it because their work doesn’t allow them to update their browser? I’ve come across a few Old school companies like this when doing web work for them.

By the way this Thread is getting REALLY long

GMS

Causing a browsers to crash when viewing your web page is akin to punching someone in a face when entering your store. People are aslo not going to download a new browser just because your site does not reder in IE6, they will go to your competitor. The fact is people use IE6, these people are not techsavy and they don’t have the means or knowledge to upgrade. Nobody likes a hollier than thou geek attitude. I would not hire anyone that acts as such. Yes IE 6 sucks, use your progressive enhancement and cater to your audience.

I am using chrome… I must admit some sites aren’t ready for it yet, and there are sites that can only be opened in IE (sucks) but even though it was the father of browsers it should learn from itself like what competitors did. Look at friendster and facebook. spot!

gamma-normids

IE6 sucks. Indeed. But IE7 and IE8 don’t. They’re fine. Actually, my son uses IE8 to play flash games. He “feels” those load faster. And indeed, I do feel at least ie8 kinda light. Rather than just “make people use something else”, we should help them to upgrade. That’s it. Crash them? I don’t know, as the poster above me said, they don’t know what they are doing wrong, neither are aware there are better version of their browsers.

Hating on Internet Explorer doesn’t help anyone. We need to encourage upgrades to Internet Explorer 8 and support Microsoft in improving its implementation of web standards in future releases.

Whether you like it or not, Internet Explorer is the most important browser in the world. jeremiahlee.com/blog/2009/11/27/fix-internet-explorer/

Kyo

Why should I spend my time helping an incompetent corporation in their failure as developers? That is not my problem. I develop web using standards. that all IEs sux is not my problem. And yes, 7 and 8 sux also…. that you might find it a bit… faster to open? means nothing. two versions have been released without any SIGNIFICANT improvement. They are still unable to implement all DOM and CSS standards while all other browsers have. why? plain incompetence. period.

Browser Wars â€” Yes, I think we should punch IE users in the face. Crash their browser, yell, scream, whatever it takes to bring to their attention that the outdated browser is not a secure choice. Hack it till they whack it! How else does shit get done in this world? Definitely NOT in a passive way!

IE does suck the new version (IE 8) is no exception because all fonts in our post is bold albeit it’s not in other browsers, why they don’t fix it, may be IE team just want to show how bad their browser is and if that’s their purpose then they managed to convince us

IE 6 does suck, 7 and 8 suck a little less, but the problem is that corporations who depend on the legacy platform, and who had invested in it years and years ago are more assured there applications will work with IE6. There was an interesting article I read recently on the chrome framework that would allow the browser to opperate like IE6 when necessary using legacy apps, but then function in a current web standards sort of way for all other browsing, at sitepoint.com – http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/09/24/google-chrome-frame-fixes-ie/.

Crashing is funny, but not practical and I would never do it, as it is ultimately about the USER experience, not the DESIGNER experience.

FYI…. When IE goes down, it takes the whole thing with it…. I tried the “crash-in-case-of-IE” code and it made my whole computer freeze… Wouldn’t want to do that to my customers…!!! And also, yeah…. IE can go and put it’s head down a toilet…! Cheers…!

As much as IE sucks, and in particular IE6, we should remember that some people are very new to computing and do not know how to upgrade their browser, or even what a browser it. We shouldn’t punish people for being technologically unaware. We need more education and more awareness.

IE certainly has it’s problems but lest we forget that it was essentially the first of it’s kind. And all of IE’s other peers are now long gone. That being said, I guarantee everyone on this post is using Firefox.

Wow, IE6. So old, that the only way you can use it is if you’re still using Windows XP and you never upgraded.

Firefox is the best. Why? Adblock Plus = best invention ever!! Ads are so annoying, especially on sites like YouTube. Plus Mozilla comes out with a new version every few weeks, so they are constantly upgrading and improving the Firefox experience.

(by the way, does anyone here think Linux is great? i use Ubuntu all the time, and it has Firefox!!)